U.S. President Donald Trump is offering a special opportunity for white South African farmers who want to leave their country due to what he calls “terrible” treatment by the government.
In a post on Truth Social Friday, Trump wrote, “South Africa is being terrible, plus, to long time Farmers in the country. They are confiscating their LAND and FARMS, and MUCH WORSE THAN THAT. A bad place to be right now, and we are stopping all Federal Funding. To go a step further, any Farmer (with family!) from South Africa, seeking to flee that country for reasons of safety, will be invited into the United States of America with a rapid pathway to Citizenship. This process will begin immediately!”
Trump’s remarks appear to be aimed at giving preferential treatment to white South Africans who he says are being treated unfairly.
Elon Musk, a close ally of Trump, was born in South Africa. Musk and his family left South Africa for Canada in the 1980s, and he became a U.S. citizen in 2002.
Trump has been condemning South Africa for over a month. In February, he wrote, “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY. It is a disaster that the Radical Left Media refuses to acknowledge. A massive human rights violation, at a minimum, is unfolding right before our eyes.”
He also stated, “The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”
Musk also weighed in on the issue Friday, claiming that racism is behind the South African government’s decision to ban his company Starlink from operating in the country. Musk wrote, “Starlink is not allowed to operate in South Africa, because I’m not black.”
Critics argue that the real reason for Starlink’s ban is Musk’s failure to follow licensing regulations, not racial discrimination.
In a further response, the U.S. State Department ordered a pause on most U.S. foreign assistance to South Africa Thursday. This move came after a Trump executive order targeting “egregious actions” by the South African government, particularly its treatment of white Afrikaners—descendants of Dutch colonizers who helped enforce apartheid policies. According to The Guardian, the order mentions “unjust racial discrimination” against white Afrikaners, who faced restrictions under the country’s former segregationist system.
